Maybe they’re not the most creative, but liberal protesters are certainly consistent. Angry about the administration’s refugee pause, a New York demonstration alternated last night between chants of “Fuck Trump” and “Fuck Paul Ryan!”

Streamlined and functional, the four letter rallying cry perfectly epitomizes the protests currently sweeping the nation’s coastal metropolises. Tailored to the needs of the activist uninterested in dialogue or too busy for ideas, the chant allows them to easily register their outrage.

Clearly the millennial throngs are striving for something. Every good movement needs a uniting symbol, a simple and accessible slogan. Dr. Martin Luther King asked, “am I not a man?” Vietnam protesters chanted, “make love, not war.” And more recently, the Tea Party resurrected the revolutionary, “don’t tread on me.”

Subscribe today to get intelligence and analysis on defense and national security issues in your Inbox each weekday morning from veteran journalists Jamie McIntyre and Jacqueline Klimas.

Sorry, there was a problem processing your email signup. Please try again later.

Processing…

Thank you for signing up for the Daily on Defense newsletter. You should receive your first issue soon!

But today’s protesters don’t enjoy the creativity of their predecessors. Demonstrating for tolerance, they call for the public brutalization of a devoted father of three from little Janesville, Wis. It’s convenient and simpler but it leaves something to be desired, namely an argument.

Other than hate, there’s nothing backing up the motto. Sure, it gets the blood running, but it’s lacking otherwise. And that’s a shame. Politics aside, there’s a legitimate argument for and against the current refugee ban, one that’s overshadowed by the slur.

If protesters are truly angry at the speaker of the House, they could point to his seemingly conflicting statements on the issue. They could ask, for example, why Ryan publicly denounced Trump’s refugee ban in December 2015 only to back a watered-down version of it today. But it’s easier to curse a politician than start a lasting movement.

Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.

Also from the Washington Examiner

The tweet accusing Paul Ryan of swearing has since been deleted.

•

01/31/17 11:54 AM

Top Story

I’m very disappointed in this type of crap,” committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said.

By David Freddoso (@freddoso) • 1/4/17 5:22 PM David Freddoso Commentary Editor The Washington Examiner http://s3.amazonaws.com/content.washingtonexaminer.biz/images/static/authors/Freddoso-3.jpg Obamacare was in its ...

By David Freddoso (@freddoso) • 1/30/17 6:56 PM David Freddoso Commentary Editor The Washington Examiner http://s3.amazonaws.com/content.washingtonexaminer.biz/images/static/authors/Freddoso-3.jpg There was no love ...